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“Heads up.” Jirou called, and Ochako lifted her hands to catch the balloon lobbed at her. It touched down lightly against her fingertips, and she bounced it over to where Yaoyorozu sat with a spool of ribbon. Quirk training and cost-cutting in one, the best sort of combination.
“How many have we got left?” Ashido asked, sprawled upside down on the couch and tapping away on her phone.
“You’re not even doing anything.” Yaoyorozu pointed out, tying off another ribbon to another balloon and tossing it backwards over her head to Sero, balanced on Koda’s shoulders.
“I’m making sure the birthday girl doesn’t get back early. The boys keep asking me for ideas.” she snorted. “And she’s the easiest to keep happy!”
“Who did we trust with that, again?” Ochako asked, and Ashido scoffed.
“Deku, Todoroki, and Tokoyami.”
“Why did we ask them, again?” Jirou laughed. “The only worse choices would’ve been Kaminari and Bakugo.”
“Because they were the only ones not doing something else for the party.” Ochako reminded her friends.
“Good thing Bakugo can cook, huh?” Jirou joked, and Ochako giggled. “I mean, seriously, that boy can cook. He’s gonna make a fiiiine husband someday.”
“I just hope he doesn’t make it too spicy.” Yaoyorozu huffed, pursing her lips as she tied off another balloon ribbon. “Last time I thought my tongue was going to fall off.”
“Coward.” Ochako grinned. Yaoyorozu rolled her eyes.
“You’ve got no taste.” she sniffed.
“You’ve got too much.” Jirou teased, stretching out her leg to kick Yaoyorozu’s knee. “And don’t worry, I asked Bakugo to make a mild one too.”
“Ah, shit.” Ashido sat up, twisting to sit sideways with her legs over the arm of the couch. “They’re headed back already.”
“What, why?!”
“Deku’s not telling me.” she growled, thumbs tapping rapid-fire on the keys of her phone. “Ugh, but he says they’ll slow her down as much as they can.”
“Well then, time to get everyone else in position.” Ochako said, scrambling to her feet. “You can get this all put away, right?” she asked, and got nods from Yaoyorozu and Jirou both.
“Great.” Ashido grinned, stuffing her phone in her back pocket. “Let’s get to work.”
Fifteen hectic minutes later, everyone was huddled behind various pieces of furniture with poppers in hand and hats donned. Bakugo’s was attached with a hearty amount of Sero’s tape, with another long strip covering his mouth to keep him from being all loud and shouty and, well, Bakugo before they could get the plan enacted. “Sorry about the weather, Tsuyu.” Deku said as he opened the door, and Ochako could practically see Todoroki and Tokoyami looking around in mock confusion.
“Where did everyone go, kero?” Tsuyu asked, and Ochako shot to her feet with everyone else, pressing her fingertips together to make all the balloons fall from the ceiling, bouncing gently on the ends of their shiny ribbon tethers. Tsuyu’s eyes went wide, an awed smile spreading across her face, and Ochako’s heart fluttered in her chest as they all bellowed Happy Birthday. If only she could make Tsuyu look that overjoyed every day.